Mezzo-thermoneal stabilizers (Or: Marketing Gimmicks)

Mezzo-thermoneal stabilizers (Or: Marketing Gimmicks)

by SJ Piano ServiceNo Comments
What's a "mezzo-thermoneal stabilizer" you ask? That's a great question. In the post-WW2 era, when the piano market was really taking off in America, manufacturers started coming up with all kinds of new patented techniques to make their pianos stand out from the competition. Or, at the very least, to make them sound special. "Mezzo-thermoneal stabilizers" are a great example. No one really knows what it means, but it sure sounds cool. Almost like your piano was designed by NASA! Most of these kinds of labels, unfortunately, are little more than marketing gimmicks. This particular piano is a 1979 Kimball Console. It's actually a good little piano, but the mezzo-thermoneal stabilization probably has nothing to do with it! ...
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Cooling holes in piano plate

Cooling holes in piano plate

by SJ Piano ServiceNo Comments
Have you ever wondered why grand pianos have these holes in their plate? Piano plates are made of cast iron, and as such are forged at very high temperatures. These "cooling holes" are strategically placed in the plate to break up large contiguous areas of cast metal so that the entire plate can cool more evenly and quickly, avoiding warping and cracking. As cool as it would be, they are unfortunately not "subwoofers" or "sounding holes" and having more of them does not necessarily make your piano better. There is minimal impact on sound and that is not the purpose of the holes. What IS cool though, is that various manufacturers trim and decorate the holes in different ways, and it can be a unique identifying element of a piano's history! This one is a 1926 Steinway L baby grand. ...
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